The present invention relates to a cabinet body structure and articulated joint means for forming an articulated joint between adjacent end sections of structural parts of the body , e.g., its sides, top and base.
Cabinets, furniture or the like almost always consist of two sides plus a top and base which form a rectangle. These four units are connected together at the corners by means of methods such as miterings, edge joining or dovetailing. The latter method has all but disappeared from commercial products due to high costs and inefficient production. The mitering alternative is realistic only when a definitive jointing takes place at the factory.
Edge joining is therefore the totally dominant method of section joining today. If the joining is done at a factory, an enormous amount of space is required for warehousing and distribution, which thus become very expensive. Therefore, a significant share of the manufacturing is done according to the so-called "knock-down" system, i.e., the delivered goods consist of finished, surface-treated separate sections that are assembled by the customer. In order for such a system to function, detailed labeling and description must accompany the delivery. If the customer has had no experience with such mounting, which is often the case, the customer will often have problems with the assembly and will use a great deal of time before the right parts are correctly assembled and the structure has the final form that is intended.
There are a number of different systems for joining the parts, e.g., screws with visible decorative heads or tension devices and lockable hooks. All known solutions, however, have the common feature that the four sides of which the structure consists are disconnected units.